Episode 29: Mobile GamesHey everyone! In this episode we discuss mobile games (iOS & Android) and how they compare to other mobile platforms like the Nintendo DS family. We mentioned some of our favorite games (Monument Valley, Warp Gate, Jumping Finn) and tried to figure out why there are so few quality games for our cell phones.

Thanks for listening!

We hope you’ll come out to see us at Albany Comicon on June 7th and show your support. Stop by our booth for a free sticker and pin with our button logo! Hope to see you there! (Holiday Inn, Wolf Road, Albany).

This week we discuss golf games, Konami’s radical shift in game development, and downloadable content. Specifically, we take a look at Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2013: Masters Collector’s Edition for the Xbox 360 and Kirby’s Dream Course for the Super Nintendo. These are widely different games and show that there’s actually a lot of variety within the genre of golf games. There are actually a lot more golf games than we imagined! Tiger Woods is certainly an adequate and competent golf simulator. It will get the job done and for enthusiasts it would be an excellent title to pick up. Kirby’s Dream Course is more of a wacky mini-golf platforming adventure. The Hot Shots series and Mario Golf are some other titles we could’ve played for this episode. If you’ve played them please let us know what you think in the comments.

We hope you’ll come out to see us at Albany Comicon on June 7th and show your support. Stop by our booth for a free sticker and pin with our button logo! Hope to see you there! (Holiday Inn, Wolf Road, Albany). Follow Us: @PlayrTwo @ThePolygon1 @KillaGreg17facebook.com/Player2PressStart admin at player2pressstart.com

Our final installment in the Halo Retrospective is now up. At some point in the near future we’ll be discussing the Halo: Master Chief Collection. And don’t forget Halo 5 is just around the corner!

In addition to getting our show through iTunes or on our website you can now find us on Stitcher and easily listen to us anywhere you go! Stitcher’s app is available for iTunes, Android, as well as desktop playback.

YouTube video will be up later tonight. There’s no actual video to go with this but the episode will be on YouTube nonetheless.

Occasionally we wander away from game reviews to talk about larger “game theory” concepts and today we’re discussing video game music, both new and old. We touch on classic NES themes as well as the full orchestral scores of modern games. We’ll also touch on some interesting phenomenon associated with gaming music such as the reintroduction of classic music (jazz, oldies, etc) into pop culture and offshoot genres such as Chiptune and Nerdcore which have been heavily influenced by video game music.

We really love Destiny. It’s compelling and intriguing but not without it’s flaws. We haven’t totally cracked the Destiny code yet. Perhaps the next game in the series will help us figure out what makes Destiny tick and why it has been so extremely popular.

We’ve decided to revisit what has been one of the most contentious, yet amazing, modern games. In Part 1 (of 2) we give the general overview, mechanics, and commentary on the game as a whole. In the conclusion we’ll discuss the nitty gritty stuff, the community, and some of the other mechanics we didn’t get to yet.

This game is extremely satisfying but it’s also a hot mess. We’ve tried to keep our critique coherent. Come along with us on a journey through time and space and find out what we thought of Destiny!

We’ve reached the end of the Mass Effect Trilogy reviews. Mass Effect 3 is one of the most controversial games in recent memory. The ending of the game polarized fans and led Bioware to extend what they released. Mass Effect 3 improves on many of the game mechanics introduced in the previous two games and is, in many ways, a more streamlined version of Mass Effect 1.

Mass Effect 3 is more than an ending that went off the rails, however. It is an incredible game that ties up an exciting and epic science fiction adventure that spans thousands of years and countless star systems. The breadth of the series is undeniable but its greatest strength, the characters, will always be its legacy. These characters can make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. It explores the human condition in the way that all successful sci-fi has done and does it with a flare and style uniquely its own. The world building; attention to detail, plot, and story; and the music are inspiring and epic.

It is a safe bet that we haven’t seen the last of Mass Effect. What exactly Bioware has in store for us has yet to be determined but rest assured, we’ll be returning to this universe in due time.

We at Player 2 Press Start and Agree or Die (our partner for these Mass Effect reviews) applaud Bioware for their efforts and eagerly await the next installment.

Alex from Agree or Die is back to help us out with our Mass Effect series. This week we are discussing Mass Effect 2. Stripped down and streamlined this game is significantly different from the first and third titles in the series but it is still a joy to play. Mass Effect 2 also has some of the greatest Downloadable Content in the series and some of the best value for DLC in gaming as a whole. Lair of the Shadow Broker is marvelous.

We love this game though we do manage to find the nitpick issues. Alex would give it a one out of one rating.

We’re still working on our Mass Effect retrospective but in the mean time we wanted to do a year end review of both the gaming industry in general but also the podcast specifically. This week’s episode is a little more self indulgent and list-based but I think we’ve made consistent cases all along as to why any specific game fits the chosen categories.

You will also hear a little bit about Space Engineers, a new game that Dan has been playing and has quickly become obsessed with. Its available through Steam and is currently in beta. In short: Minecraft in space.

In other news, Greg has picked up Destiny and, like so many others, has become obsessed and extremely conflicted with it. A proper Destiny episode will be put on the agenda. There is much to discuss.

Episode 22 will pick up with Alex from Agree or Die and will cover Mass Effect 2. Thanks for listening!

Alex from Agree or Die joins us for a review and retrospective of Mass Effect. Mass Effect has gone down as one of the top science fiction video-game epics of all time. It certainly follows in the footsteps of earlier games like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, also by Bioware. Mass Effect is a wholly original intellectual property that allowed Bioware to go in whatever direction they wanted to. While they did a terrific job designing new worlds, technology, and aliens the high point of Mass Effect is in the character development. Complex back stories, terrific conversational options, and morality decisions makes the game seductive and difficult to shake once played. The game is breathtakingly beautiful, intense, and complex. The quality of the content is very high and you certainly will get your money’s worth.

This game was released in 2007 and I still find myself dwelling on its world and characters. The three of us strongly encourage you to play Mass Effect if you haven’t yet. While it isn’t perfect, it is certainly more than the sum of its parts.

We still haven’t ironed out the issues with Episode 19: Star Wars games on youtube but this episode is up and working properly. Maybe if you’re lucky a Special Edition of the Star Wars episode will be released. As always, thanks for listening.